NMMU’s CA graduates achieve SA’s highest pass rate

STUDENTS from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University achieved the highest pass rate countrywide in the first of two professional examinations required for qualification as Chartered Accountants – with two honours graduates placed in the top 10 nationally.

An impressive 97% of the Class of 2014 BCom Honours (Accounting) graduates passed the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (Saica’s) Initial Test of Competency (ITC) examination on their first attempt – considerably higher than the national pass rate of 82% for first time attempts.

Among the 62 that passed was the entire honours class of NMMU Thuthuka Bursary students – a programme that aims to produce more black Chartered Accountants in South Africa.

Seventh-placed Van den Bergh, 22, who is completing her first year of articles at Deloitte in Cape Town, said she was “very honoured” to be placed among the top 10.

“It’s a great feeling when hard work pays off. I’m also very excited to be representing NMMU as I feel we have an excellent accounting programme … All the lecturers in the accounting program are CA’s themselves – they know what it takes to be successful.”

Alfond, who, after failing a test in his second year, took to writing all his university examinations in a formal suit to remind him just how serious his studies were, described his achievement as “unreal”. “All I can say is that it’s a blessing from God.”

The 22-year-old, who is completing his articles at KPMG in Port Elizabeth, said: “I feel I have a good idea of what my strengths and weaknesses are, so that helped me because I knew what I had to focus on and I knew when to ask for help.”

School of Accounting director Prof Frans Prinsloo said these latest results were arguably the best NMMU – and its predecessor, the University of Port Elizabeth – had ever achieved in the first part of Saica’s Qualifying Examinations.